Atomic Junkshot amble down some creepy southern Dirt Roads in their smoky, slow-burning new single — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
the first single from the the St. Louis Americana band’s upcoming debut album Peacedale, Dirt Roads takes a sarcastic narrative looking at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri — made famous by the Netflix series Ozark — flush with images of three-legged-dogs, trash cluttered front yards, meth shacks and E. Coli-contaminated water.
Named for the studio in rural Connecticut where the gritty, 10-song album was cut, Peacedale’s songs deftly deliver on the band’s influences ranging from southern rock to alt-country, honky-tonk to blues and straightforward rock ’n’ roll. Ultimately, Peacedale carries an at-times lyrically-edgy, diverse collection of Midwest-inspired narratives written by Atomic Junkshot’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist, Aaron Perlut.
“We’re very proud of the record,” said Perlut. “It’s authentic to who we are and Greg helped bring out the best in each performance. We feel like the songs are an embodiment of the communities we live in, the folks we spend time with and the lives we know to be true.”
Produced by Greg D. Griffith — who has worked in-studio with Amy Ray of Indigo Girls, Rachel Baiman, The Butchies and others — the album will be released in-full on May 31, and was recorded at Griffith’s Peacedale Studios in Bristol, Conn. “The thing I love about working with Atomic Junkshot is, to my ear, they are as much Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds as they are honky-tonk,” said Griffith, who also mixed the album. “I love that raw punk element, whether it was intended or not. I was excited to capture that as much as possible and feel like the end-product accomplishes as much.”
Peacedale is Atomic Junkshot’s first full-length studio release following 2022’s Gun Show EP, produced by Adam “Lightnin’” Hoskins, and the band’s 2023 live record, Live from Luke’s House, produced by Lucas Jack and mastered by Mike Semple. Atomic Junkshot’s lineup — bass player Clay Mudd, percussionist Brian McCary, Markus Everblus on harmonica and lead guitar and Perlut — performed on each of the albums 10 songs. Grammy-nominated piano player Jimmy Wallace provided organ and piano while Spencer Harris contributed backing vocals.
Founded in 2018 in St. Louis, Atomic Junkshot have steadily caught the attention of Americana music fans. Critics have described the band as twisted southern rockers and the honky-tonk love child of David Allan Coe and Blues Traveler. Perlut’s songwriting is admittedly long and wordy, taking cues from his musical heroes such as Ray Wylie Hubbard, Steve Earle, Tom Petty and Tony Joe White. The band’s straightforward, country and rock-inspired rhythms blend seamlessly with more complex rock, blues and country-derived leads.
Check out Dirt Roads above, hear more from Atomic Junkshot below, and head over to their website, Facebook and Twitter.
